Summary 

In this episode of the Building Better Cultures podcast, Scott McInnes discusses the challenge of disconnection in the workplace with guests Susie Leacy and Kevin Empey. They explore the impact of remote work on employee connection, the role of leadership in fostering a cohesive culture, and the importance of intentional strategies to build relationships among employees. The conversation also touches on the multi-generational workforce and the need for organizations to adapt their communication and engagement strategies to meet diverse needs. Ultimately, the episode emphasizes that connection is a shared responsibility between leaders and employees, and that fostering a culture of connection is essential for organizational success. 

Takeaways 

• Disconnection is a significant challenge in modern workplaces. 

• Connection is essential for productivity and resilience. 

• Leadership plays a crucial role in fostering connection. 

• Organizations must adapt to maintain engagement in remote work settings. 

• Intentional strategies are needed to create opportunities for connection. 

• The multi-generational workforce presents unique challenges and opportunities. 

• Onboarding processes should focus on building community and connection. 

• Employees have a role in co-creating workplace culture. 

• Flexibility in work arrangements comes with shared responsibility. 

• Connection should be prioritized over merely addressing disconnection. 

Chapters 

• 00:00 Introduction to Disconnection in the Workplace 

• 04:47 Understanding the Challenge of Disconnection 

• 09:01 The Importance of Connection in Modern Work 

• 12:03 Bridging the Gap: Building Cohesion and Engagement 

• 16:15 Navigating a Multi-Generational Workforce 

• 21:55 Intergenerational Connections in Care Settings 

• 24:35 Bridging Generational Gaps in the Workplace 

• 29:42 Intentional Onboarding and Cultural Integration 

• 33:06 Creating Community in a Hybrid Work Environment 

• 39:13 Co-Creating Culture: The Role of Employees and Leaders 

Summary 

In this episode of the Building Better Cultures podcast, Scott McInnes discusses the challenge of accountability for values with guests Karen Jones and Karen Hackett. They explore the importance of articulating and embedding organizational values, the role of managers in fostering a culture of accountability, and the potential pitfalls of weaponizing values in the workplace. The conversation also touches on the significance of onboarding processes and the need for open communication and feedback within organizations. 

Takeaways 

• Accountability for values is a significant challenge for many organizations. 

• Values must be articulated and understood to be effectively lived. 

• Creating a culture of feedback is essential for accountability. 

• Managers play a pivotal role in releasing the energy of their teams. 

• Onboarding processes should embed values from the start. 

• Psychological safety is crucial for open conversations about values. 

• Values can be weaponized, leading to defensiveness in feedback. 

• Organizations need to be bold about their current culture and desired future state. 

• Storytelling can help connect employees to organizational values. 

• Time is a critical factor in enabling managers to engage with their teams. 

Chapters 

• 00:00 Introduction to Accountability for Values 

• 01:24 Understanding Organizational Culture 

• 04:18 Insights from the Mind the Gap Report 

• 06:19 Bringing Values to Life 

• 11:03 Accountability in Practice 

• 17:17 Weaponization of Values in the Workplace 

• 22:16 Building a High-Performance Culture 

• 24:53 The Role of Managers in Organizational Success 

• 30:01 Empowering Middle Managers 

• 37:22 The Importance of Storytelling in Leadership 

• 37:49 Effective Onboarding Practices 

Summary 

In this engaging conversation, the speakers delve into the importance of non-verbal communication in leadership, the journey of a brain hacker, the power of subconscious storytelling, the role of empathy in communication, and the science behind influence through mirroring and rapport. They emphasize that effective leadership requires understanding and harnessing these elements to create a positive organizational culture. In this conversation, the speakers delve into the intricacies of influence, decision-making, resilience, and leadership. They explore how to effectively negotiate by understanding body language and the importance of gut instincts in decision-making. The discussion also emphasizes the need for mental resilience through acceptance and positivity, especially in challenging times. Finally, the speakers highlight the significance of authenticity in leadership, advocating for genuine connections with team members. 

Takeaways 

• 99.9999% of leaders leave communication skills on the table. 

• Leadership is a mindset, not a position. 

• Cultural leadership involves leading teams effectively. 

• Subconscious behaviors drive our actions and decisions. 

• Storytelling is crucial for effective communication. 

• Empathy is essential in today's volatile world. 

• Tactical empathy can enhance leadership effectiveness. 

• Understanding non-verbal communication is vital for leaders. 

• Influence is built on trust and rapport. 

• Effective storytelling involves hooks, tension, and payoffs. Influence can be achieved through understanding and mirroring body language. 

• Trusting your gut instinct can lead to better decision-making. 

• Life is messy, and accepting that can lead to personal growth. 

Chapters 

• 00:00 Unlocking Non-Verbal Communication in Leadership 

• 05:07 The Journey of a Brain Hacker 

• 09:49 The Power of Subconscious Storytelling 

• 14:59 Empathy and Communication in Leadership 

• 20:01 Influence Through Mirroring and Rapport 

• 21:30 The Art of Influence and Negotiation 

• 23:12 Trusting Your Gut: The Role of Instinct in Decision-Making 

• 28:42 Building an Unbreakable Mind: Acceptance and Positivity 

• 37:53 Authenticity in Leadership: The Key to Connection 

Coming from backgrounds in workplace relations and global marketing, David Macleod and Nita Clarke seemed like the perfect team to undertake a research project on behalf of Peter Mandelsen, the then UK Secretary of State. They knew there was a better way to improve productivity in the UK workforce.

In 2009, David Macleod and Nita Clarke published their findings as 'Engage for Success'.

Since then they created a movement to raise the profile of Employee Engagement and shine a light on good practice and the significant benefits it can bring to organisations and their people.

Show Notes:

2.50 – A bit of David and Nita's background – 7.00 – Why was the report commissioned? – 8.40 – Four ways to improve business – 10.40 – Most companies are still in command/control – 12.45 – Put your people first - 16.00 – Enabler 1 – Strong Narrative – 20.30 – Enabler 2 – Engaging Leaders – 23.50 – Recognise good behaviour! - 26.00 – Enabler 3 – Employee Voice – 31.00 –Enabler 4 – Act with Integrity – 35.30 – Why is global disengagement so high? – 39.00 – The people agenda is in the boardroom now – 42.30 – Success is about the people, stupid – 47.30 – What has COVID-19 taught us? – 50.30 – Learn more about Engage for Success

Pedro Angulo (not a Kerry name as he reminds us!) is Head of Leadership Development in AIB.  

As he told us in his first appearance on this podcast (Ep8), his focus is on helping leaders to be the best they can be and ensuring they "show up" in a way that's engaging, respectful and caring.

​In this episode, we focused heavily on the past few months of COVID lockdown, what has set leaders apart and some of the things we've learned that businesses should be looking to retain.  Outside of AIB, Pedro is Programme Director in the IMI and is a former President of the Irish Chapter of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC).

Show Notes:

2.30 – People and leaders in times of change – 4.40 – The impact on how leaders lead? – 5.40 – Key stages of crisis leadership – 8.30 – Flexing leadership styles – 10.15 – Reflecting and self-awareness - 12.15 – Firefighting the 'urgent-important' – 15.00 – Good leadership is about direction and energy – 17.40 – We need to challenge assumptions more - 19.00 – Trust, leadership and flexi-working – 23.00 – Practical tips for successful flexi-working – 30.00 – Culture – rewarding what's right – 32.00 – Purpose and values to grow culture – 32.30 – Culture change takes time – PERSIST – 35.15 – How do we grow from this? – 39.40 – Retaining positive practices

By her own admission, Carole Ann's career is a bit of mixed bag.

From a degree in Applied Languages and Business to the Diageo Graduate Programme and on to a number of sales and marketing roles.  A spate in ad agencies followed before Carole Ann moved to Coca-Cola where she headed up experiential marketing before becoming Head of Digital. ​

She left Coca-Cola in 2013, having become unwell herself, and turned instead to leadership coaching and then to mental health and wellbeing coaching.  In 2018 she founded I am Here to help organisations put people and mental health at the heart of their cultures.  She's also a former Irish Rugby Captain.

Show Notes:

2.40 – A bit about Carole Ann – 6.00 – I am Here – 12.00 – The power of values – 13.40 – Conscious leadership and the rise of the mental health agenda – 15.00 – Looking after your staff is just good business - 17.00 – We've learned a lot about leadership from Covid – 21.05 – How do leaders create safe team cultures – 27.00 – Tools to help build resilience through change – 34.00 – The lower of listening as a leader – 36.40 – Empowering vs telling – 38.40 – Leaders need to learn from Covid – 39.00 – If only I'd known 10 years ago… 'Get you know yourself'

With over 70 years of IC experience between them, Katie Macauley, Chuck Gose and Mike Klein joined me for this episode.  We discussed what the world will look like for IC Teams post-Covid, the role of leaders as communicators and much more. 

​Katie is a 30-year Internal Communications veteran. She is the founder of AB, one of the UK's longest-standing internal communications agencies and the host of The Internal Comms Podcast. 

Chuck previously produced the ICology podcast and, more recently, Culture, Comms & Cocktails podcast.  He's worked for brands including GM and Rolls-Royce and is currently Senior Strategic Advisor at Social Chorus. ​

Mike runs a Netherlands-based internal communications consultancy, Changing the Terms. He's worked in internal comms for 20 years before which he managed political campaigns in the US. Links:

Film I referenced re Marriott Hotels – CEO Arne Sorenson -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SprFgoU6aO0&t=11s

Show Notes: 

3.20 – A bit about Katie, Chuck and Mike – 6.50 – Ambiguity, uncertainty, precariousness and progress – 8.40 – Friction in our future plans. 11.40 – New constants will have an impact on workplaces – 14.55 – Companies that are true values-led will thrive – 16.00 – The rise in employee activism – 18.00 – Building stronger cultures in remote workforces – 25.00 – The future impact on IC Teams – 26.30 – Don't tear up the rule book! – 28.00 – Get better at listening – 29.30 – A crisis brings out the IC Heroes – 31.00 – To listen more closely, ditch the annual survey – 33.20 – The role of people leaders during change – be authentic, contextualise and be the truth-tellers - 40.00 – In a crisis, people want honesty from leaders, not authenticity or transparency – 42.00 - What's the one thing you'd do as Head of IC in a new company?

"Adversity becomes a learning opportunity if you know how to process it"

​Ryan had a love of flying from a young age and, at the age of 17 he decided he wanted to be the youngest person to fly a single-engine aircraft around the world, something he achieved two years later. ​

When he was 21, another aircraft-related incident changed his life. He crashed a vintage bi-plane shortly after take-off, had to be cut from the wreckage, was flown to a hospital and, when he woke up he had no feeling below the waist – he'd broken his back. ​

What followed was six months in hospital and 18 months in rehab as he learned to walk again.

Show Notes:

2.00 - A bit on Ryan's backstories – 12.50 – A life-changing plane crash – 14.45 – 'Things happen for a reason, right? – 16.40 – Why are people resistant to change – 18.40 – We spend a lot of time worrying about things we can't control - 20.00 – Ryan's checklist for navigating change – 22.30 – Step One - Gratitude – 25.00 – Step Two - Confidence – 26.15 – Step Three - Resilience – 28.00 – Getting into a more change and challenge ready mindset – 29.30 – Where does empathy fit it? – 31.40 – Change and challenge is personal, adversity isn't a competition – 35.50 – A bit about what Ryan does – 38.00 – If only I'd known 10 years ago…

"Every company needs their people to be advocates for that business" ​

Aisling went straight into her career in 1987, when she chose, rather than going to university, to join AIB.  By her own admission her education, knowledge, growth and expertise came from the school of life and work. ​

She worked at AIB for 29 years during which time she held leadership roles in branch banking, business banking, retail banking operations, strategy and transformation. 

In 2016, she joined Danske Bank UK, Northern Ireland's largest bank as Head of Branch Banking where she leads a team of up to 400 people.

Show Notes:

1.47 - A bit on Aislings career – 5.00 – Culture in retail banking – 9.50 – Culture and collaboration through co-working – 11.30 – What's a leaders role in driving great culture – 13.50 – A leader's language is key - 17.00 – Leaders' roles in driving customer experience – 20.00 – Values, behaviours and recognition are key – 22.30 – Maintaining motivation during change is about WHY – 27.10 – Leaders need to translate key messages – 28.00 – Aisling's leadership role models – 31.00 – Aisling's advice for your 20-year-old self.

"People aren't after more communication, they're after more connection" ​

Jane started her career in the corporate world where she held roles in a number of large organisations including IBM and Sony, where she was Director of Engagement and Change.

​She founded The Culture Builders in 2011 and has since worked with companies around the world, helping them to put greater emphasis on their culture, people and performance.

​She's also a published author in the area of people and culture - The Culture Builders (2012) and Bank of Me (2018).  Most recently she published 'Bank of me – a remote working special edition' (2020).

Show Notes:

2.40 - A delve into Jane's background – 4.42 – The remote working trap – what is it? – 5.10 - The three pillars of culture – what we believe; how we behave; and what we use – 6.50 – What are leaders doing differently? – 9.00 – How can leaders support teams emotionally?– 10.30 – Connection is more important than ever - 11.55 – Equipping middle managers is critical - 14.40 – Repetition is key – 16.00 – Find out how your people feel – 17.50 – This is the time to bring training to life – 19.10 – Practical hints and tips – 30.00 – Recognise what you're learning – 31.30 –There's learning at home too – 34.00 – There is a silver lining to this cloud?

"People with more power cast longer shadows and have a greater ability to shape culture" ​

Will's career started in sales where he made 100 cold calls a day!. But it was while he was in that role that he found his true calling, gazing across the office at the marketing team "where people were having fun".  So he took some courses and so began a long career in marketing.

But deep down, he knew that he wanted to make his own mark on the world and, in 2002, following a chance meeting with Tom Nixon, the two founded the social media consultancy, NixonMcInnes. During that period he wrote Culture Shock, a practical guide on how companies can create more effective cultures for the digital age.

​In 2013 he joined Brandwatch as Chief Marketing Officer and has been there since.

Show Notes:

1.20 - A delve into Mary's background – 7.40 – What makes a great people leader? – 9.30 - The power of diversity in work – 13.00 –The key role of leaders during change - 16.05 – Trust is key – 16.30 – Celebrate achievements (and failures!) honestly – 17.36 – People can grow through change - 18.30 – Using a story to drive change – 24.55 – The importance of effective culture – 29.30 – How can leaders shape culture – 34.00 – Be yourself, not someone else - 39.30 – Mary's advice for her younger self – 'Be your authentic self'

"Being your authentic self and helping others to bring theirs is key to leadership" ​

Mary comes from an academic background in finance and a career that started in the Central Bank of Ireland where she held a number of roles including Consumer Director and Acting Chief Executive.  She also held roles at the IMF and in the World Bank before joining the Institute of Banking as CEO in 2018.

With 34,000 members the IOB is Ireland's largest professional membership body and is also a college of University College Dublin (UCD).  They are currently undergoing significant change as they digitise processes, procedures and their approach to learning. This will ensure that the IOB remains as relevant as possible to their growing customer base in banking, funds management and further afield in financial services.

Show Notes:

1.20 - A delve into Mary's background – 7.40 – What makes a great people leader? – 9.30 - The power of diversity in work – 13.00 –The key role of leaders during change - 16.05 – Trust is key – 16.30 – Celebrate achievements (and failures!) honestly – 17.36 – People can grow through change - 18.30 – Using a story to drive change – 24.55 – The importance of effective culture – 29.30 – How can leaders shape culture – 34.00 – Be yourself, not someone else - 39.30 – Mary's advice for her younger self – 'Be your authentic self'

​In October we ran a live event in partnership with AIB.  Entitled 'Exploring the Power of Purpose', Pedro Angulo, AIB's Head of Leadership Development, opened the event with exploration and explanation of the purpose journey AIB has been on over the past few months. 

Scott then hosted a panel discussion with a number of C-Suite execs from a mix of global organisations - Denis Doolan, Special Olympics; Alice Mansergh, Google, Tara O'Sullivan, Skillsoft (formerly) and Margot Slattery, Sodexo - each of whom brought their own unique perspectives on what purpose meant to them and their organisations.

The feedback on the event was so positive that we thought we'd release the panel discussion as a podcast episode - here it is! 

Show Notes:

Summary 

In this episode, the conversation delves into the intricacies of workplace culture, emphasizing the importance of leadership, purpose, and employee wellbeing. The speakers discuss how culture is shaped by the behaviours tolerated within an organization and the critical role leaders play in modelling desired behaviours. They explore the challenges faced by middle management and the necessity of empowering employees to take charge of their wellbeing. The discussion highlights the need for intentionality in fostering connections and trust within teams, ultimately leading to a stronger organizational culture. 

Takeaways 

• Your culture is defined by the worst behaviour you tolerate.
• Purpose should be central to organizational culture.
• Leaders play a crucial role but are not the sole influencers of culture.
• Middle management faces unique challenges in today's work environment.
• Wellbeing initiatives must be integrated into the organizational culture.
• Building trust is essential for effective communication.
• Employees should be empowered to lead wellbeing initiatives.
• Intentionality in interactions fosters better connections.
• Storytelling can enhance the understanding of purpose in work.
• Giving employees a voice is key to building a strong culture. 

Chapters 

• 00:00 Understanding Workplace Culture
• 03:07 The Role of Purpose in Organizations
• 06:03 Leadership and Culture Dynamics
• 09:00 Middle Management Challenges
• 11:51 Wellbeing in the Workplace
• 14:47 Building Trust and Connection
• 18:11 Empowering Employees for Wellbeing
• 21:04 Creating a Strong Organizational Culture 

​"If you're going to use words, you might as well use the best ones you can" ​

John Simmons, has had many roles over his career but they all had one thing in common - a deep-seated passion for the 'joy of language', as he puts it.  Starting his career in the UK's National Economic Development office, John soon moved into the agency world. During that period he worked on many 'visual identity projects but he always wondered if there was space too for 'verbal identity? And so the idea of Tone of Voice was born and became a key part of the brand programmes he worked on. ​

He left the agency in 2004 to work with a range of organisations, helping them to define their tone of voice and has written a number of books on the subject.  He's also written a number of fictional novels and is a member of the Dark Angels collective.

Links:

John's Book, Dark Angels – www.dark-angels.org.uk

Show Notes:

2.00 - A delve into John's background – 7.40 – What is Tone of Voice? – 10.05 - TOV and internal comms – 11.00 – Tone of Voice, culture and customer experience – 12.40 – Connecting internal and external voice in WHSmith – 15.00 – Closing the gap between the spoken and written word – 18.53 – ToV is about getting the message across effectively – 19.33 – How does a company define its TOV? - 23.10 – Defining tone isn't about stifling creativity – 24.50 – Using TOV to change the culture in AIB - 30.00 – Bringing together internal and external TOV – 35.00 – Simple steps to a better tone of voice – clarity, personal pronouns and active verbs – 39.30 – Where to go for more on TOV -

"The mushroom theory of 'feed them $&*% and keep them in the dark' is gone" ​

Orlaith has had a number of different careers within a career. She started her career as a journalist in local radio and then with RTE before co-founding Gavin Duffy and Associates. Her focus was very much on media relations training, coaching and supporting thousands of business and political leaders.  In latter years, however, that naturally broadened out into leadership development, talent development and leadership coaching.

Today, Orlaith is a coach and leadership consultant, spending much of her time coaching leaders and helping businesses to cope with the changing world of work - from working with Millennials and GenZs to maximizing retention, creating purpose and driving career ownership.

Links:

Orlaith's book on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perform-Leader-skills-strategies-where/dp/0993289207/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=orlaith+carmody&qid=1567432991&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Show Notes:

2.00 - A bit about Orlaith – 4.00 – How people feel during transformation is key – 5.40 - What makes a great leader – 'emotional intelligence and authenticity – 7.05 – The impact of leaders of customer experience – 10.20 – Defining mission, vision, values and purpose isn't enough – 13.15 – Some thoughts on culture – 16.40 – Leader as a coach (not commander) to engage millennials and GenZ – 19.30 – Practical thoughts on coaching leadership – 22.00 – Getting buy-in to culture change - 28.30 – Authenticity and self-awareness – 42.20 – Orlaith's advice for himself – 'You're capable of so much more that you'll ever imagine – believe in yourself!'

"Don't fall in love with your wins – positively seek out what might kill you next"

​If you want to hear from someone with a varied, wide-ranging and interesting career, you need to look no further than Gavin Bate. He's travelled thousands of miles around the world, summited the seven highest summits on the planet, walked across the Sahara (solo!), driven aid trucks in Africa and taught in Kenya's slum schools. And that's only the half of it!

Today, Gavin is an International Mountain Leader, runs Adventure Alternative, which he started in 1991, and is the founder of Moving Mountains Trust, an international charity working with disadvantaged children and communities primarily in Kenya, Tanzania and Nepal. He is also an experienced speaker and lecturer on leadership and leadership psychology, much of the context for which he takes from his experiences in the mountains.

Show Notes:

2.40 - A bit about Gavin – 6.30 – Leadership through climbing – 8.45 - Mindfulness, mental health and getting off the grid – 11.50 – What makes a great leader – 'know thyself' – 15.10 – The changing focus on Mountain Guide training – 17.40 – Managing the psychology of men and women and optimal compromise – 19.05 – Transformational leadership and leading from the middle – 21.20 – Hierarchy kills progress – 24.40 – The danger of generational stereotypes – 26.50 – A leader's role in change – IQ vs EQ vs AQ (adaptability) - 29.00 – Adaptability – 'What if' scenario planning - 31.20 – The power of unlearning and heuristic traps – 35.35 – Exploration vs exploitation 38.50 – Silos get in the way of transparency and communication. – 42.20 – Gavin's advice for himself – 'Get off your high horse!'

"If you don't continually learn how can you grow as a leader?" ​

Joyce is a career banker with over 20 years of experience in the sector.  Deciding that college wasn't for her, she took a role in the Bank of Ireland from school and spent 14 years there before moving to Ulster Bank in 2003. Within a year she became an Area Manager, a role she held for four years before she was asked to set up an Academy for retail staff, her first foray into L&D. A role as Head of Learning for the bank followed in 2009.

In 2018, having spent 10 years evolving the learning offer in Ulster Bank, Joyce became Head of Leadership & Talent. In 2019 she won the Irish Institute of Training and Development's award for Outstanding Individual Contribution.

Show Notes:

2.20 - A bit about Joyce – 7.50 – What makes a leader a great leader – 12.15 - Are leaders born or made – 18.50 – Career playgrounds and lateral moves – 19.50 – The role of L&D in creating great cultures – 20.45 – Culture is a big focus in Irish Financial Services – 22.46 – L&D as a strategic enabler – 23.45 – Chief Meaning Officers and translating strategy – 25.40 – Role of leaders in creating engaging workplaces – 28.00 – A leader's role in change - 30.00 – How can organisations create strong L&D strategies? FOCUS! 32.30 – Partnership with the business is key to success – 34.00 – You need to ask, 'How are we building capability? 36.05 – Joyce's advice for herself – 'Get up, dress up, show up and never give up.'

"Anything is possible but not everything is possible" ​

Straight out of college, Josh fell into accounting (because that's what you did, right?).  However, very quickly, he realised that it wasn't for him and it was during those two years that he realised, for many people, work was just not enjoyable.  But, having seen and experienced a few moments when people were in their element (or what he refers to as 'having that 'tingly feeling''), he knew there was more that companies and individuals could be doing to get the most from each other.

​So his career took a major turn and, today, Josh is an author (with three books under his belt), a speaker and a coach. In this episode, I talked to him about his most recent book, '5 days to your best work yet, a very practical guide and workbook designed to help readers identify what they can do to get more out of work.

Show Notes:

3.20 - A bit about Josh and his background – 8.57 – Josh's consulting and speaking roles – 10.37 – A bit on the book – 14.30 – Step 1 – 'What are you best at?' – 16.40 – We have lots of negative thoughts – 19.25 – 'Step 2 – What's your tingly feeling' – 22.10 – Purpose, engagement and meaningful work – 25.00 – Good work releases good chemicals – 31.00 – Step 3 – 'Who are you becoming?' – focus on your efforts – 34.10 – Using the book to take a step back – 36.05 – Josh's advice for himself – 'Anything is possible but not everything is possible.'

Having been exposed to the hospitality sector from a young age (her mother worked in a local Co Limerick hotel), Margot trained initially as a chef before taking a sideways step into hotel and catering management.  She spent a number of years working for a contract catering company which was acquired by Sodexo. ​

She has been at Sodexo ever since, during which time she's held a number of positions across the company from Operations Manager to Account Director. In 2015 she became Country President, responsible for Sodexo's 4,000 employees in Ireland and NI.  She's a passionate advocate of the diversity and inclusion agenda, is a member of Sodexo's global LGBT network leadership team, and was the founding chair of Sodexo's Women Work network.

Show Notes:

2.10 - A bit about Margot and her background – 4.50 – What makes a leader a great leader? – 6.40 – Bringing your whole self to work – 7.40 – The role of diversity in the workplace – 10.30 – Creating conditions for D&I success – 12.40 – Things leaders can do to create inclusive cultures – 15.00 – The importance of defending company values – 18.40 – Diversity is more than just gender – 23.00 – How do leaders keep the plates spinning? – 25.00 – The power of self-awareness – 27.30 – Diversity on boards - 34.30 – Practical advice for building more diverse teams – 36.10 – Margot's advice for herself – be brave.

Compared to many, Denis's career has been wide-ranging.  It started in London in 1994 where he worked in tech PR before "falling into event management" for the Sydney Olympics. Returning to Ireland in 2001, he continued in that vein before setting up his own consultancy, running strategic planning, project management and leadership development programmes for a range of commercial and non-profit clients.  When Denis was offered the chance to become interim MD of the Special Olympics Europe-Eurasia region in 2011, he seized the opportunity.

​​He has since gone on to take a global role with responsibility for operational and leadership development.  The Leadership Academy he and his team set up has been recognized by a number of bodies and his current focus is looking at the role leadership plays in sustainability, inclusion and driving change.

Show Notes:

2.30 - A bit about Denis and his career – 5.35 – Creating a focus on Leadership development - 9.50 –What makes a leader a great leader? – 14.30 – The importance of humility – 16.30 – Inclusive leadership and creating more diverse leaders - 22.25 – Organisations can benefit significantly from more inclusive environments – 25.10 – The role of leaders during change, listening and the power of visibility - 28.14 – Consistent leadership in tough times is key – 30.00 – Being clear during change – Mandela and Trump – 33.00 - Are you a hub or a bridge? Hermione Ibarra – 34.55 – Dan Pink and the power of 'endings' – 36.30 – More inclusion and sustainable leadership is the future - 39.50 - Denis's Leadership role models – 42.10 – Denis's advice for himself – focus on personal styles

Born in County Down, Julie's career in business started early in life. Her father was a poultry farmer and retailer and, in many ways, that started to shape her views of business from an early age. She studied business in Ulster University before moving to Dublin in the late seventies, a time when things in Northern Ireland were pretty lean but foreign direct investment in the Republic was beginning to build. ​

Since then, she has spent 30 years in the Irish Development Authority and Enterprise Ireland, both semi-state government agencies.  She has been CEO at the latter since 2013 during which time the agency has supported hundreds of indigenous Irish companies, creating tens of thousands of jobs.  Julie is a strong supporter of initiatives that drive diversity and is a champion for women engaging at all levels in the public and private sectors.

Show Notes:

1.50 – Julie's start in life, the family business and supporting Irish business – 4.40 – What does Enterprise Ireland's support look like? – 5.13 – Supporting clients through leadership development – 6.30 – The challenges of Brexit for business – 8.30 – What makes a great leader - vision, ambition, energy, passion and purpose– 11.35 – Irish companies are coming out of the shadow of multinationals – 15.30 – A leader's role during change – 17.55 – Milestones during change are key - We need to rethink the purpose and HOW of virtual meetings

A lecturer in his early career, Nick's first foray into 'practical communications' was as a speechwriter for the Governor of Virginia. In 1997 he went on to found Public Words, a consultancy with a mission to improve the world of professional communication in which he has worked with CEOs from most of the Fortune Top 50, a number of Heads of State and a US President or two (he wouldn't tell us who!) ​

I met Nick at the launch of his newest book 'Can you hear me? : How to connect with people in a virtual world'.  As the use of smartphones, teleconference, video conference and email continues to explode in business, Nick explores the impact that's having on the quality and impact of our communications. He shares the top five challenges he identified in his research and offers some ideas on how to mitigate them.

Show Notes:

2.24 – Nick's background – 4.40 – …and his commercial experience – 5.40 – Why he wrote the book – 7.35 – Challenge 1 – lack of feedback in digital communication – 10.05 – Not noticing a Brazilian earthquake! – 12.05 – The brain processes Why before How/What – 12.35 – Recipients need to provide feedback, but it's tough at first – 14.00 – We need to rethink purpose and HOW of virtual meetings – 15.40 – Challenge 2 – lack of feedback = lack of empathy - 18.20 – actively increasing feedback can help to avoid hostility – 20.24 – Trust is very fragile in the virtual world, we're quick to judge – 25.30 – Challenge 3 – lack of control over your persona – 29.10 - Challenge 4 – Lack of emotion (which makes it hard to make good decisions) – 35.00 - We have to get better at expressing intent to be better understood – 36.24 - Challenge 5 – Lack of connection – means relationships are more fragile – 37.25 - How do we address these issues? - 37.45 – Get better at storytelling, be authentic and vulnerable – 40.30 – Find out how people feel - 43.10 – Use emojis and emoticons to introduce 'body language'! – 46.00 – Nick's advice to himself – 'find your own way'

Having started her career at Dermot Desmond's NCB stockbrokers, Carmel very quickly moved through the ranks before moving out of research and into PR.  Over the next 12 years, she worked her way through the Irish PR scene with stints in Edelman, Text 100 and Keatings. In 2001 she set up her own consultancy - Gemini Consulting.

It was then that she met Jonathan Irwin, founder of the Jack and Jill Foundation. The foundation supports families who have children with suffer severe intellectual and physical disability to be able to keep their children at home. Today they support 350 families across Ireland.  Following a period as interim CEO, Carmel took up the role on a permanent basis in January 2019.  You can find out more at www.jackandjill.ie

Show Notes:

0.00 – Charity in the Irish context - 2.10 – Carmel and NCB stockbrokers – 4.30 – From research to PR – 10.51 – Gemini Consulting and work-life blend – 13.15 – An intro to Jonathan Irwin and Jack & Jill – 16.15 – Having a strong purpose and making a difference – 22.30 – Balancing fundraising with nursing – 26.50 – The impact of emotional stories – 33.00 – Humility and vulnerability in leaders - 34.30 – Carmel's role models – 31.55 – Carmel's advice to herself

Episode Summary 

In this episode of Building Better Cultures, Scott McInnes sits down with Jonathan Reed, CEO of Paddy and Scott's Coffee, to discuss the company's incredible transformation over the past three years. Jonathan shares his journey from employee to owner through a management buyout (MBO) and the challenges he faced in reshaping the organisation's leadership and culture. 

With a strong focus on communication, trust, and a people-first approach, Jonathan highlights how visibility, vulnerability, and fun play crucial roles in creating an engaged and motivated workforce. He also delves into the company's commitment to social impact, ensuring that business success translates into meaningful contributions to coffee-growing communities. 

This episode is packed with insights on leadership, resilience, and the power of responsible commerce to create real change. 

Key Takeaways 

• Transitioning from employee to owner is a profound leadership shift. 

• The MBO process is challenging but ultimately rewarding. 

• Clear communication and trust-building are crucial for a successful transition. 

• Leaders must be visible, present, and engaged with their teams. 

• A great workplace culture includes fun as a key performance indicator. 

• People—not just coffee—are at the heart of Paddy and Scott's business. 

• Strategic planning should involve and empower employees. 

• Vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness, in leadership. 

• Businesses have a responsibility to make a positive social impact. 

• The future of Paddy and Scott's is built on responsible commerce and community support. 

Chapters  

• 00:00 Introduction and Background  

• 08:54 Impact of MBO on Leadership and Culture  

• 19:45 Emphasizing People Over Profit  

• 34:52 Future Vision and Social Impact  

By her own admission, Jeni's career journey has been a meandering one. Following an Arts degree from University College Dublin she completed a Masters in European Studies. Her career started in the voluntary sector before a move into IBEC - Ireland's largest business lobby group - a role "that was a real apprenticeship".  It was in that role that she started to think about HR and how businesses can drive success through their people.

She held a number of HR positions before joining Openet in 2015 where she is responsible for looking at how structures, systems and people can support and deliver on the company's overall vision and purpose.

Show Notes:

2.35 – Jeni, her career and Openet – 7.30 – Bringing culture to life through change – 11.20 – Values, behaviours and culture – 14.15 – Leading change – behaviours vs tasks – 13.50 – Carrots or sticks to motivate change– 18.00 – Leadership's contextual - not everyone is a leader all the time – 23.18 – the purpose of leadership is to grow leaders – 24.00 – Leaders must have opinion and conviction - 24.30 – Forging leaders – 25.00 – it's easy to overthink 'leading' – 26.54 – A leader's role during change – 31.55 – Jeni's advice to herself

Helen started her career as a primary school teacher.  However, with a class of 43 four-year-old boys, she realized pretty quickly that perhaps that wasn't the career for her!  So, she went back to college to study computer science before going on to work in a number of software firms.  And it was there that she found HR, "before there were really careers in HR". 

Helen has now worked in HR for over 20 years with brands including GE, Andal Fujitsu, Dell and Oracle before she joined Google in 2010.   As Director of People Operations, Helen is responsible for both Dublin's 8,000 employees and the Finance team across all of EMEA, roles she moves between on a daily basis.

Show Notes:

1.45 – Helen's Career and a bit about Google – 4.00 – 15 years of Google in Ireland – 4.50 – The cultural melting pot – 9.40 – What make a leader in Google – 13.50 – Individual contributors vs people leaders – 16.00 – Engaging staff and providing feedback is key – 19.15 – Thoughts on millennials – 23.30 – A leader's role during change – 26.53 – Helen's leadership role models – 34.45 – Advice Helen would give herself.

Over his 30 year career in consumer marketing, Colin worked across a range of sectors from alcohol and tobacco to healthcare and soft drinks.  He is a Board member of Bord Bia's (The Irish Food Board) Consumer Foods Board.

For the past 13 years, he has been CEO of Glanbia Consumer Foods, Ireland's largest food producer.  The company boasts some of Ireland's best-known food brands including Avonmore and Kilmeaden cheese and sells close to 2.5m items per day.  He lives for marketing and sales and is a strong believer in the power of storytelling and aligning staff with the overall strategy. I spoke to him just before Christmas, a busy time for cream it appeared!

Show Notes:

3.20s – Colin's background, marketing and Glanbia – 10.00 – What makes a Glanbia Leader great – 11.35 – Define your strategy and stick to it – 14.30 – The role of leaders in communicating strategy – 18.40 – Engagement and celebration are key – 20.15 – Ensuring all staff are aligned is key – regardless of their location – 22.00 – The importance of the ACTUAL customer – 25.40 – Staff or customer first? – 27.15 – The importance of trust – 29.00 - Colin's role models – 34.45 – Colin's advice to his 20-year-old self – 'spend more time educating yourself'

Des has worked in financial services for over 30 years, "both as a banker and leader" as he puts it.  Having spent most of his career working in Ireland, his more recent experience is in the UK, as MD of First Trust Bank (AIB's Northern Irish subsidiary) and, more recently, as CEO of Cumberland Building Society in NW England.​

He is someone that relishes the challenge of change and, in this episode, we spoke to Des at the start of Cumberland's change journey - a journey made somewhat trickier by the fact that there was no obvious 'burning platform'.  We'll talk to Des again later in 2019 to see how his change plan is progressing and what he's learned along the way.

Show Notes:

2.00s – Des's background and a bit on Cumberland – 3.22 – Purpose and values matter – 5.00 – Listening to Cumberland's people – 7.10 – Where's the business today? – 11.30 – What does the change journey look like? – 14.20 – Creating a case for change in a healthy company – 19.00 – Communicating to get people comfortable with change – 20.40 – Being transparent – literally! – 22.30 – Looking at leadership outside the office – 24.30 – The role of people leaders during change – 23.00 – the roles of leaders during change is fundamental – 29.00 – What's gone wrong so far? – 31.30 –Des' role models – 34.45 – Des' advice to his 20-year-old self – 'nobody gives you self-confidence'

Over a 25 year career in PermanentTSB, Ger worked his way from bank teller to the role of HR Director.  This was the first time in its 200 year history that the bank appointed an HR Director from a non-HR background.

His commercial background allowed him to open doors to parts of the organisation that, previously, HR hadn't felt equipped or confident to approach.  And it gave him an understanding of the business that allows the HR team to connect enable and build capability that connects with people across the organisation in a much more meaningful way.

Show Notes:

1.20s – Ger's career history – 2.40 – Bringing the voice of the customer inside – 5.00 – developing a strong leadership culture through the business – 6.28 – Line managers' role in Big HR – 8.40 – Character, Competence and Connection make a great leader - 11.50 – Some thoughts on listening – 14.10 – Balancing the past, with today and the future – 15.00 – Customers don't and shouldn't care about siloes – 18.00 – Fear and being inquisitive – 20.00 – Cognitive diversity and creating psychological safety – 23.00 – the roles of leaders during change is fundamental – 25.50 – Permanent TBS's changing model – 27.20 – Responsibility for culture sits with Executive and Leadership Teams – 28.50 – Ger's role models – 30.10 – Ger's advice to his 20-year-old self – 'understand yourself'

Between them, Anth and Ollie have over 30 years of experience helping large organisations to create more compelling and human cultures by focusing on internal communications, employee engagement and leadership.  

They met when both were working for RSA and, in late 2015, founded Intelligent Emotion to help organisations humanize workplaces for the digital age. They fundamentally believe that tapping into people's emotions at work, providing purpose and supporting that with great leaders, increases pride, drives innovation and, in turn, generates better and more sustainable business results.

Show Notes:

1.35s – A bit of career history and Intelligent Emotion – 3.50 – Bringing human to a digital world – 6.15 – Leaders need to ask for help – 7.30 – Vulnerable leadership – 9.00 – Great leaders - 10.35 – Balancing directive and inclusive leadership – 11.38 – Jazz hands and connecting people to strategy – 13.40 – Start with people's current reality – 14.40 – Great leaders are curious and open to learning – 16.25 – Defining 'leader' and their role in engagement – 17.30 – The Leadership Pie – 19.00 – Is 'leadership' noticed as a deliverable? – 19.30 – Engagement isn't about pizzas, parties and mars bars – 21.05 – The power of objective setting – 21.40 – Shifting from 'engagement' being a thing – 24.00 – Using storytelling to show what good looks like - 26.17 – Internal Comms isn't just for Internal Comms teams! – 31.40 – Leadership role models - 35.50 – 'Chief Good News Officer' syndrome – 37.10 – Advice for your 20-year-old selves.

"Sometimes, your job as a leader is to illuminate corners that people aren't looking in"

​Two years ago Jeff, and his wife Mindi, co-founded Caselden Consulting to focus on the people side of the business, something they're both passionate about.   Today they work with companies large and small, in Ireland and further afield, to coach leaders and help teams to be the best they can be.  ​

Prior to this, Jeff spent 18 years in Amazon where he worked in a number of different divisions before coming to Ireland in 2008.  In the years since then, he worked in a number of roles, most recently as General Manager where he grew the business from 300 to 1,300 employees.

Key Points:

* Trust, Openness, Honesty

* It's not about having all the answers

* Vulnerability, failure and taking risks

* Nurturing culture during growth

Show Notes:

50s – A bit about Jeff and his career – 6.20 – Trust, Openness, Honesty are central to great leaders – 8.10 – Being great isn't about having all the answers – 9.00 – Diversity is key and the challenge is GOOD – 9.50 – Vulnerability, failure and taking risks - 12.30 – Protecting culture during growth – Amazon Leadership principles – 16.40 – Baking values, principles, purpose and vision into everything is key – 17.30 – Five things leaders need to do during change – 21.50 – Importance of communications and listening – 22.40 – Thoughts on Leaders' role in engagement – 24.30 – Big surveys with no actions just piss people off – 25.50 – Is too much dialogue a risk? – 28.10 – Jeff's leadership role models – 32.50 – Jeff's Leadership advice for himself

​Paul has worked in internal communications for over 20 years - by his own admission, "that was back when internal communications was still a new thing".  ​

He started his career in Barclays where he worked in a number of roles before continuing his career in the Insurance sector with the Prudential, and in mobile telecoms with T-Mobil / EE.  He then returned to financial services with RBS to work for the general insurance business before it was floated on the stock market as Direct Line Insurance. 

Most recently he was with Rolls-Royce, with a brief to unify people under a new narrative, vision and strategy.

Show Notes:

Sean held a number of positions at Smurfitt Graduate School of business over his 20-year career there.  Most recently he was Director of Marketing, a role he held for 11 years until he retired in 2015.  Prior to joining Smurfitt he was Director of Marketing at BUPA Ireland where he was involved in its launch in 1996.  He also had significant experience in the food sector having served as a GM and Marketing Director in Waterford Foods (now Glanbia).

When it comes to leadership, he saw the good, the bad and the ugly through his 50-year career.

Show Notes:

1.02 – Sean and his career journey – 1.56 – Good and great leaders – 2.41 – Clarity of purpose is critical – 4.36 – Education is creating better (but perhaps inexperienced) leaders – 5.31 – Leaders sometimes have to make tough calls – 8.41 – Your people know more about customers than you do – 10.01 - Connection to strategy and strategic planning – 12.16 – Creating engaging teams – 13.22 – Management by walking about – 15.41 – Don't tell lies! – 18.11 – Avoiding reputational impact – 20.11 – Leading through change –23.31 – Sean's leadership role models – 26.46 –Sean's advice for his 20-year-old self – know what you don't know.

​Tom has worked in communications for over 20 years.  He started his career in PR working with brands like Microsoft, Intel and Gateway before, in the late 1990s with the advent of the Irish tech boom, turning his attention to tech startups, working in Iona, Marrakech and Cape Clear.  

In 2005 he joined Microsoft Ireland before moving to HQ in Seattle in 2009.  He's worked in a number of roles in PR and CSR and, more recently, in internal communications, where he's played a key role in driving global change for 15,000 staff across 140 countries in Microsoft Services.

For more on Tom's career, see his LinkedIn profile here.

Show Notes:

58s – A bit about Tom and his career journey – 3.33 – Getting people involved in change – 4.35 – We will use AI but there's always a role for people – 6.00 – Managing change for 15,000 people – 7.35 – Case for change, over-communicating and vision – 9.40 – Getting your people on board – 10.50 Change is a journey, not a straight A to B – 12.50 – Handling uncertainty – 13.30 – The role of leaders – 15.15 – Upskilling leaders in communications – 16.30 – Being a people manager is hard work! – 17.50 – Planning comms during long term change – 19.00 – Involving people shows they have a voice – 20.00 – The power of storytelling during change – 24.00 – Tom's leadership role models – 26.35 –Tom's advice for his 20-year-old self – keep learning and look at things differently

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Building Better Cultures, Scott McInnes sits down with Jenni Field, CEO of Redefining Communications, to discuss her new book Nobody Believes You and the critical role of credibility in leadership. They explore the eight interconnected practices that define credible leadership and examine how leaders can navigate post-pandemic organisational challenges with empathy, integrity, and self-awareness. 

Jenni shares research-backed insights on how leaders can build trust, foster a supportive culture, and adapt their communication styles to strengthen their credibility. From balancing vulnerability with professionalism to embracing feedback as a tool for growth, this conversation offers practical strategies for leaders looking to inspire confidence and drive meaningful change. 

KEY POINTS

• Credibility is the foundation of leadership—without it, leaders struggle to gain trust and influence. 

• Post-COVID leadership requires a shift towards empathy, integrity, and adaptability. 

• The eight practices of credible leadership work together—leaders must develop all of them to be truly effective. 

• Leaders must be intentional about communication, self-awareness, and feedback to maintain credibility. 

• A strong organisational culture is built through supportive leadership and a clear vision. 

• Empathy is not just an inherent trait—it's a skill that can be developed and strengthened. 

ABOUT JENNI FIELD

Jenni Field is an international speaker, author, podcaster, researcher, and business communications strategist. She specializes in helping teams and leaders use communication to take people and organisations from chaos to calm.  

From Canada to Slovenia, you'll find her talking about credible leadership, relationships at work, and how to be more impactful with your communication.  

A well-respected thought-leader in the communications industry, she is known for her optimistic outlook, energy, and honesty on any stage she is speaking on.  

Jenni's podcast, Redefining Communications with Jenni Field, provides short 15-minute episodes focusing on different business topics and providing advice to help organizations go from chaos to calm.  

In 2021 published her first book Influential Internal Communication.   

Jenni has led several research projects to help organisations tackle some of their biggest challenges; In 2019 she carried out the only research into communication with deskless workers, repeating it in 2023 to see the impact of the pandemic on frontline teams.   

Her research in 2021 explored the role of line managers and in 2023 she researched the different practices that make a leader credible – leading to the publication of Nobody Believes You; Become a Leader People Will Follow.  

SOCIAL LINKS

• Redefining Communications website
• Jenni's LinkedIn
• Instagram: @Jennifield
• X: @mrsjennifield  

REFERENCE LINKS

• Books by Jenni
• Redefining Comms Research Reports 
  
• Redefining Communications Podcast

Orlagh has worked in HR and organisational change for more years than she cared to admit to in this week's interview :-).  She started her career in Retail and FMCG before moving into Financial Services as Group HRD in RSA. She then returned to Ireland to become Chief People Officer in AIB and, more recently, interim HRD in Virgin Media Ireland.

She set up Human Leadership in 2018 to help organisations thrive in the changing world of work by focusing on leadership and the role of human qualities in the digital era.

For more on Orlagh and on Human Leadership see her website - www.human-leadership.com

Show Notes:

58s – A bit about Orlagh her work, clients, kids and a crazy dog! – 2.20 – Human Leadership – 5.52 –Everybody in business wants to feel as though they're playing a part – 3.57 – There are opportunities for human characteristics in the digital age – 5.50 – The changing nature of the world of work – 6.20 – What makes a leader a great leader – 12.00 – The education system needs to support a new way of learning – 13.15 – How does a leader create an engaging workplace? – 17.30 – The role of leader as a communicator during change – 19.40 – The power of connection and purpose – 21.30 – Helping leaders to translate strategy – 23.50 – Unearthing compelling stories in RSA – 24.50 – An Post getting stories to postal staff – 26.00 – Stories build pride – 26.30 – Orlagh's leadership role models – 28.00 – We're all works in progress and just need to be the best version of ourselves. – 29.50 – Orlagh's advice for her 20-year-old self – You don't need to do it all.

15 years ago, around her kitchen table, Alison co-founded The Storytellers with a plan to help organisations communicate their strategy and vision in a more emotionally compelling way.  Since then, they've applied their storytelling framework to over 170 multi-nationals across the globe.  Alison and her team have seen the power of a great story and, when it's supported by emotionally engaging leaders and continuous reinforcement through real-life stories, the positive impact it can have on business performance.

To find out more about Alison you can view her profile on LinkedIn. 

Show Notes:

1.07s – The Storytellers, Cromwell Place, Lavery, Collins, Churchill and the Anglo-Irish Agreement – 3.12 – A bit about The Storytellers and bringing strategy to life emotionally – 5.52 –Everybody in business wants to feel as though they're playing a part – 8.02 – Leaders struggle to understand why and how strategy is relevant to them – 9.22 – Stories and strong leadership are key drivers of engagement – 9.57 – Building authenticity and credibility – 11.07 – Bringing your whole self to work and hiding behind language – 12.42 – Storytelling takes courage and guidance but it's in us – 13.52 – How do you create a narrative - 16.22 – Structure is key – beginning, middle and end; how what and why – 18.52 – It shouldn't be pages and pages of content – 19.57 – How do you bring it to life through an organisation. Leaders are key – 22.02 – Using champions to get the story out – 23.32 – The comms team has an important part to play – 24.22 – Stories help to identify unsung heroes – 26.12 – Kerry Foods – keeping the story alive – 30.52 – To be credible, processes need to be aligned to your story.

Show Notes:

0.00 – Strong parallels between leadership in sport and business – 50s – A bit about Mike over 20 years – 1.50 – Coaching, winning and Welsh Valleys – 3.05 –A career-changing injury and a move into coaching – 4.05 – A course doesn't mean you know everything – 4.20 – Vision is fine but alignment and communication is key to success – 6.30 – A focus on what to maintain and what to work on – 6.59 – "I'm going to coach Wales", declare your intentions to the universe – 9.50 – Looking to your team for answers – 11.00 – Sometimes the answers come from the least expected places – 16.35 – Formal vs informal leaders – 17.35 – Recognising talent in your team – 18.20 – Respect, recognition and unity – 21.20 – The tiny things make a difference – 22.40 – Creating team vision and aligning practices to it W.A.L.E.S – 27.40 - Attitude. What are your trademarks? - 30.00 – Mike's advice for his 20-year-old self – Just be you and 'bouncebackability'!

Harry has worked with words for many years.  He started life as an editor before joining the London-based agency 'The Writer' in response to an advert that called out their mission 'to stop the tyranny of linguistic mediocrity'.  Six months ago he became Monzo Bank's writer though, as he says himself, "Everyone here is a writer, I've just got the job title".

To find out more about Harry you can view his profile on Linkedin. To have a look at Monzo's tone of voice and to read more about 'active language monkeys', see www.monzo.com/toneofvoice.

Show Notes:

1.07 – A bit about Harry – 3.30 – Monzo – the digital bank that lives in your phone – 5.00 – Why does a company need to define the tone of voice – 8.30 –Tone of voice isn't about turning the staff into automatons – 10.18 – Tone of voice guidelines vs rules – 11.43 – Creating Monzo's tone of voice - 15.40 – Monkeys and avoiding the passive voice – 18.35 – The 'read aloud and listen' test – 19.35 – We should write as we speak – 20.50 – The problem with 'professional' writing - 21.55 – Building trust through human writing – 22.55 – Embedding tone of voice across your business – 24.17 – Giving people skills and confidence – 26.37 – Making it real through examples – 27.50 – Prove it works – 28.40 - Going public with the tone of voice – 29.45 – The benefits (and pitfalls) of lifting another's the tone of voice

Tara has over 25 years of experience in tech marketing,  Today, at Skillsoft, the world's largest e-learning company, she has a diverse portfolio including branding, corporate marketing, communications and product marketing.  

She's also a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

For more on Tara's experience click here to view her profile on Linkedin. Tara also talked about Google's 'Just not Sorry' plugin for Chrome - there's a bit more on that here.

Key Points:

* Leaders with authenticity and focus

* What you love doing maybe it isn't here.

* Gender imbalance, Starbucks and conscious bias

* Cementing recall with stories

* Sponsors vs mentors

* Cheryl Sandberg, Plan B and pivoting in life

Show Notes:

1.15 – A bit of background on Skillsoft – 2.35 – Internal communications to enable sales– 4.00 – Authenticity, focus and knowing when to offer support – 6.07 – The problem with office politics – 7.50 People should love what they do – maybe it isn't here. – 9.10 – A leader's role is to clear a path - 10.40 – addressing gender imbalance, Starbucks and conscious bias – 17.30 – The changing role of learning in business to increase learning and recall – 13.45 – Cementing recall with stories – 17.40 – Providing specific learning for female High Potentials - 22.50 – Personal development, your interests and a focus on 'making you a better you' – 24.38 – Democratisation of leadership and training at the moment of need – 27.30 – Sponsors vs mentors – 28.50 – Cheryl Sandberg, Plan B and pivoting in life – 30.50 – Jack Welsh and efficiency - 31.14 - 'You are enough' – confidence and doing it your own way.

By his own admission, Pedro's purpose throughout his career- or his 'set of experiences' as he describes them - has been to help people to grow, develop and become the very best that they can be.

In his role in AIB, Pedro is responsible for Leadership Development, something he says companies aren't just talking about now, but are actually focused on. Outside of AIB, he is President of the Irish Chapter of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council).

Click here for more on Pedro's career and experience or read his Irresistible Leaders post.

Show Notes:

1.30 – Pedro on his purpose and career – 3.00 – There's a clear trend towards a focus on developing leaders – 4.28 – Focusing on staff to get the most for customers – 5.15 – 'Irresistible Leaders', emotional bonds and empowerment – 8.45 – 'Inspirare' – breathing life into teams – 10.30 – Leadership is easy, the 'practice' of leadership is the hard bit – 12.20 – Being happy failing and failing quickly - 16.30 – Don't just look for process followers, look for problem solvers – 17.45 – Bring customer experience to life in the day-to-day - 18.30 – Leader's role in creating an engaging workplace – 23.00 – Stories, culture and purpose – 24.15 – Staff bringing purpose to life in Disney – 26.10 – Great leaders are great storytellers – 26.40 – Change, Rosabeth Moss Kanter and communication – 28.40 – The 4P's of change – 30.00 – Lack of clarity impacts performance – 31.08 – Pedro's advice for his 20-year-old self.

Throughout his career, Eric has worked in tech roles both in startups and in large multinationals.  He has worked for brands including TomTom, Gilt Groupe and, most recently, Zalando, the German online fashion retailer.   In Zalando, Eric, along with his 500-strong tech team, is responsible for tech infrastructure and systems across the business.

As someone who started his career with little respect for 'management', Eric is now an advocate of strong, human leadership.

Show Notes:

1.25 – Eric talking about Montana, the SIMMS, respect for management and GILT Group – 4.10 – Moving from being a specialist to being a leader – 4.33 – In tech start-ups, profitability and delivery is key but leadership's critical– 6.08 – Great leaders are human, great at simplifying and communicating – 9.18 – 'Junior leaders need to have basic comms skills – 10.14 – Zalando's Tech Constitution – rethinking how individuals, teams and the company should behave – 12.14 – Creating a culture where its OK to say 'you're wrong', Ford's Pinto and Intel's repositioning – 15.55 – Creating cultures and environments where you fail and learn – 16.40 - It's important to take the right risks in order to grow – 18.10 – when failure does happen they're asked to teach others how to ensure it doesn't happen again - 19.10 – being comfortable sharing stories of success and failure to make the company better – 20.25 – Leader's role is to help bring their people through their change curves - 22.30 – communicate, communicate, communicate during change – 23.15 – Finding early adopters who can support the team – 24.28 – successful change can bring people together – 25.20 – Eric's leadership role models, learning, humour and psychological safety – 29.05 – Respect leadership sooner but don't get into it sooner! Learn 'just in case' not 'just in time'.

Michael started his marketing career in the US working with brands like GE, Harley Davidson, American Airlines and FAO Schwarz.  He founded Dialogue Group in 1990 and, 12 months ago, with a renewed focus on his customer experience roots, transitioned Dialogue into The CX Company. The CX Company runs an annual customer experience survey and works with Irish-based companies to improve their own levels of customer service.

For more - and to download their CX reports - go to www.thecxcompany.com.

Show Notes:

1.45 – Michael's career, GE, Harley-Davison and FAO Schwartz – 2.16 – Dialogue and the evolution into customer experience (CX) – 3.50 – 2017 results and what differentiates top from the bottom – 7.10 – The role of leaders in building CX culture (the CEO is key!) – 8.20 – 'The customer is #1' – a disconnect in organisations – 9.40 – Biggest blocker to excellent CX is politics – 12.40 - Geoff Bezos and the 'customer' chair in the boardroom – 13.30 – Richard Branson's 'staff first, not the customer' – 19.10 - Really great companies hire people who give a damn! – 20.14 – Zappos Culture School – 20.30 – The impact of poor customer experience – 22.55 – Customer experience vs customer service – 24.50 – Customer expectation dictates customer experience – 25.55 – High expectations of a consistent CX – 27.10 – Involving your people is central to CX culture – 29.57 – The impact of emotion – 32.30 – Leading with respect and being brave.

Feargal Quinn founded the Superquinn supermarket chain in Ireland and has spent his life championing customer service.

He was an Irish Senator, worked in television and has written a number of internationally published books.  His 1992 book 'Crowning the Customer' has sold more than 50,000 copies and been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, and a host of other languages.

Show Notes:

1.10 - Red Island and the start of a customer service journey – 3.37 - Keep them coming back, the Boomerang Principle - 4.30 - Self-service supermarkets and basket 'theft' – 7.00 – The Dundalk Cornflake War - 10.20 - People, service culture an having fun – 11.40 – An elephant in Sutton – 12.50 – hiring for attitude, not experience - 16.52 - The power of words, 'support office' and 'colleagues' - 18.15 - Leadership and visibility are key - 19.20 - Stand-up meetings - 21.20 - Building pride and connecting staff to the company - 23.15 - Going the extra mile - 24.20 - Leadership isn't just from above - 25.10 - Mentoring in Superquinn, not rules but ethos – 26.40 - Holding up a mirror to bad behaviour – 30.00 The tough job of telling family and colleagues about the sale of Superquinn - 33.34 - Feargal's role models - 36.14 - Feargal's advice for his 20-year-old self

Since 2005, Fionnuala has worked in Google's Dublin office. And as she says herself, at the beginning of Google's Irish journey, that meant her working 'wherever I needed to be' - in project management, telecoms and learning & development.

Today Fionnuala is VP EMEA in Google Marketing Solutions, helping SMEs and agencies to 'stay ahead of the curve in online'. She is also Site Lead in Dublin, tasked with creating a strategy to ensure that the staff feel connected to each other, to US colleagues and to the local community.

As promised in the audio, here's the view from Fionnuala's window! :-)

Show Notes:

1.01 - Tell me a bit about you and about Google – 01.43 – Eventually settled into Google Marketing Solutions - 02.15 – working with SMEs to help them stay ahead of the curve in online – 03.15 – Took on the site lead role a year ago, how do we stay connected as a site – 04.01 – Adwords – what's it all about? - 05.30 – What makes Google such an aspirational brand to work for? – 06.20 – a relentless focus on Google's mission – 07.30 – A huge amount of data drives what its like to work in Google - 08.40 – A good manager in Google is based on very specific traits – 09.13 – Psychological safety – 10.30 – Leaders as communicators – 11.15 – Cascading works! – 13.17 – Leaders need to own the cascade and listen – 14.40 – 'Millenials' are a 'thing' - there are similarities to other generations – 16.20 - …but leaders have to work harder and be more emotional – 17.25 – Managing millennials is harder in older organisations – 18.40 – Managing multi-generational teams – 19.28 – Leadership here is a privileged role – 20.30 – Advice for organisations with multi-generational workforces, consistency is key – 22.10 – Involve millennials in problem-solving and listen to them – 23.56 – Employee Engagement – we still have to work at it - 25.00 – Consistency in messaging is important – 26.40 – I don't role model people, but values – 29.00 What are Fionnuala's values? – 30.15 – What Leadership advice would Fionnuala give her 20-year-old self.

Episode Summary: 

In this episode of the Building Better Cultures podcast, Scott McInnes interviews Eimear Marrinan, VP of People Experience at HubSpot, about how HubSpot has built and maintained a thriving corporate culture.  

The conversation explores the challenges and opportunities of hybrid work, the role of feedback and transparency, and the importance of intentionality in fostering meaningful employee engagement. Eimear shares practical advice and insights into aligning company values with the needs of employees and customers alike. 

Key Takeaways: 

• HubSpot's culture code acts as a guiding principle for hiring, management, and decision-making. 

• Constructive, candid feedback fosters personal and organisational growth. 

• Remote and hybrid work require intentional strategies for communication, engagement, and productivity. 

• Managers need upskilling and support to lead effectively in dynamic work environments. 

• Culture is an evolving product shaped by data, feedback, and leadership alignment. 

• Aligning leadership around core principles enhances company mission and employee connection. 

• Challenges faced by Big Tech reveal the need to balance employee well-being with business priorities. 

Chapters: 

• 00:00 Introduction to Building Better Cultures Podcast 

• 07:01 HubSpot's Culture Code and Its Importance 

• 12:05 Feedback and Transparency in Organisational Culture 

• 20:04 Intentionality in Communication and Management 

• 25:44 The Importance of Intentionality in Management 

• 36:01 Balancing Family Culture with Business Needs 

"It's OK for you to tell your team how you're feeling as you're going through change" ​

Lisa has worked in HR for nearly 25 years during which time she has spent time in the telecoms, financial services and food sectors. 

She has worked with Nortel, the Canadian telecoms company and went through the good and the bad times with AIB.  18 months ago, Lisa joined Ornua, the Irish food and ingredients company as Head of Talent Acquisition & Development, as it goes on an ambitious journey to become a €3bn company by 2021. 

Getting the right people in the right roles doing the right things is a key deliverable on that journey.

Show Notes:

00.39 - Tell me a bit about Ornua - 01.36 ...and a bit about you Lisa - 02.30 - Irish food industry is an interesting place to be at the moment - 03.12 - What makes a great leader? - 04.10 - Leaders who lead from behind - 05.00- What can a good leader do to promote entrepreneurialism? - 05.50 - Trust is key - but commitment is expected, and the bar is high - 06.35 - Our customer dynamic is a bit strange - competitors could also be customers or suppliers - 08.30 - What do leaders need to do to create an engaging place to work? Clarity direction and stretch - 09.30 - Leadership and engagement is a journey (without an end!) - 11.00 - David Duffy - I don't have all the answers but I have people who do - 12.50 - Role of the leader as a communicator, particularly during change - 14.10 - Storytelling - it's a skill - not many leaders do it naturally - 15.15 - Change must be a combination of big picture strategic comms AND local leader interpretation to bring relevance - 17.00 - Challenges of dispersed staff groups and how you communicate with them - 19.06 - Building pride among your staff - 19.50 - 'With heart' - The power of culture and corporate values - 22.15 - How do you bring Values to life in Ornua? - 24.38 - Who are your leadership role models? - 25.30 - CEO is critical in shaping the culture in an organisation - 27.10 - Advice for your 20-year-old self - it's not just about you, it's worth thinking before jumping and you can always learn from others

Declan is a 20-year finance sector veteran who has worked in many roles in the UK, Japan and, most recently, in Ireland where he's the MD of IG Ireland, Founded in 1974 and now, with offices in 14 countries and over 1000 staff, IG is a global leader in online trading.​

The 11 years he spent living and working in Japan as MD of Nichiai KK - a consultancy with extensive experience in helpdesk and graphic design/marketing operations - gave him a unique insight into Japanese culture and business. 

In this edition of Inspiring Change Podcast, among other themes Declan Bourke, MD of IG Ireland touches on:

Company values, how IG Ireland created its values and how leaders are bringing them to life for teams around the world. 

The importance of communication and how, that can (and should) be both top-down and bottom-up  The critical role of leaders during times of change - and that's not just hierarchical leaders - "you don't need a title to be a leader", says Declan.

Leadership has the ability to make positive and rippling changes through an organisation. At an organisation like Special Olympics, this is particularly important. We strive to lead with purpose and positivity.

Mary is an Irish social entrepreneur and long-term campaigner for the rights and inclusion of children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Today she is the Chief Executive Officer of Special Olympics International having previously held the role of MD and Regional President of Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia (SOEE).

She is probably best known in Ireland for her role as CEO of the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games held in Dublin, the first time the event was staged outside of the US since the movement was founded in 1968.

Mary was awarded a Person of the Year Award in 2003 and more recently received the 'Outstanding Contribution to Women's Sport' Award at The Irish Times/Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year awards.

ABOUT MARY DAVIS:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-davis-a6460029/ Work: https://www.specialolympics.org/

ABOUT SCOTT: 

Learn more about Scott McInnes, your host and the Founder and Director of Inspiring Change, by clicking here.